Chapter Text
I’ve never had what you humans call a ‘normal life’, but at one time, my life was much simpler.
Well, kind of. You see, I’m a wizard. My name is Jacob Sunstalker, and I come from a long line of
wizards. It would have been cool if I’d grown up around others like me, but that wasn’t an option.
Oh no, my parents decided that they would go into hiding as soon as they got married…. it’s a long
story. Guess it would be a good idea to start at the beginning.
My parents told me the story of how they met. Both of them were at the best school for wizards,
Ravenwood School for Wizards in Wizard City. Never heard of it? I’m not surprised. Wizard City
is one of many worlds in the Spiral, a magical universe beyond this one, only accessible by magic.
Anyways, they both grew up in the Spiral, and met at school. They were friends for a while, then
they started dating. After school, they became more serious, but their families objected when they
decided they wanted to get married. Specifically my dad’s family, the House of Dragons. It’s a part
of the Sun Clan, one of the many Clans that make up the Fire Guild. The House of Dragons is very
important to the Fire Guild, since they are the sole guardians of the Fire Guild treasure known as
the Heart of the Dragon.
It’s said that only my family is able to even get close to it, so very few people know what it
actually is, or what powers it might have, but one thing is certain: in the wrong hands, it has the
potential to destroy entire worlds. So, getting married is kind of a big deal to them. That’s what
upset my grandparents: my mom wasn’t a Fire Wizard, she was a Life Wizard. It’s not that they
hate other types of Wizards, but inter-guild couples were, and still are, something of a taboo.
Of course, that’s just what they told me for most of my life. I found out later it was because my
grandparents didn’t like “poor wizards” (anyone who was not as wealthy as them, they saw as
peasants; they’re HUGE classists and elitists) That’s why they got married in secret, then ran away
to Earth.
In case you’re wondering why we wizards know about Earth, it’s because technically the Earth is
on the *very* edge of the Spiral, but also part of your universe.…but Earthlings don’t believe in
magic, so you’re basically cut off from the rest of the Spiral. It’s a rare in-between place; that is,
it’s in between two places at the same time. They’ve been here for the last 50 years, and then my
brother and I came along. About then is when my dad decided to try and reconcile with his family,
BEFORE they sent someone after him.
I know, it’s drastic to say that after 50 years they’d send anyone after him, but I’m getting there.
See, my being born wouldn’t exactly be a secret to the family. There are registries that keep track
of all living wizards, and when a new one is born, the head of the family is notified of the birth,
along with a rough location. I guess there’s some sort of spell on the books that tracks wizards?
I don’t think anyone really understands it, it’s one of those ancient spells that only a handful of
wizards ever learn. So of course, my dad’s family knew about me, and that I was on Earth, which
meant my dad was on Earth. He did make his peace with them, although it took a few days, and
they made him promise something. He never told me what that promise was until it was time.
More on that later.
My brother Lucas was born a couple of years after me, and this time there was no need to make
peace with his family. Unlike me, he was a ‘normal’ kid, whatever that is. The difference is that
he’s just a Fire wizard.
Remember I said my mom was a Life Wizard? There’s a reason that wizards are discouraged from
having kids with other types of wizards, because there’s a chance that one of your children will end
up being a multi-school wizard, what’s called an “inter-guild wizard”. Basically, I’m one of a small
group of wizards who are born with a natural connection to more than one type of magic.
There are 7 types of magic taught at Ravenwood, and there are others that you can learn, but these
are the main ones: Fire, Ice, Storm, Balance, Life, Myth, and Death. Each of these magics has a
guild associated with it, and a school at Ravenwood to teach their children. Well, technically the
Balance School is in Krokotopia, but there’s a runestone teleporter to take you to it in Ravenwood
at least.
You’re free to learn any of them, or even all of them. Most wizards end up learning at least one
other type, but it’s rare to have a natural connection to more than one type of magic, and just
mastering the magic isn’t the same as a natural connection. But an inter-guild wizard isn’t just rare,
it’s also harder for the wizard.
Magic isn’t as simple as muttering a few words and getting results, like you humans think. This is a
living energy we have access to, and it takes years for us to master it. Sure, our magic starts
showing at an early age, but it takes practice and hard work to do anything much with it. Training
takes time and lots of practice, and is a bit complicated, but the short version is that to control
magic, you need a combination of two things: willpower and a focusing agent such as special
words, a ritual, an artifact like a wand, stuff like that.
Of course, the energy has to come from somewhere, either from within or from somewhere in the
world (there are lines of energy on Earth, and it’s literally everywhere in the Spiral). In short,
humans, as I know from experience, think of magic as a shortcut to fix their problems, and think
it’s super easy to learn. In reality it’s a lot of hard work, and you end up having to work your life
around it and not the other way around. After all, we wizards have learned a lot about magic, but
one thing is dead certain: magic can be unpredictable. It’s alive in a way that’s hard to explain, and
it sometimes does what it wants to and not what you want.
Anyways, moving on. So because I’m an inter-guild, my parents didn’t really want to send me to
Ravenwood. They knew I’d be treated differently by the others there. They knew it’d also be
harder for me since I’d have to take classes from two very different teachers, learning two types of
magic. In other words, lots of hard work for 4 years. But they didn’t have much choice, because I
had to be trained properly. If a wizard doesn’t learn to use their magic properly, it becomes harder
and harder to control until eventually they’re a danger to themselves and others as well.
Fortunately, that almost never happens.
So, I HAD to go to Ravenwood and learn. (Or get a private tutor, but I told them I would prefer
school with others; growing up almost alone was lonely and boring) I was told at the age of 14 that
I would be going to Ravenwood once I turned 16, and Lucas would join me as well once he was old
enough too. I can’t say I was thrilled to hear the news, nor was I upset. If anything, I was a little
confused, and more than a little worried about what the other students would think about me being
an inter-guild.
For 2 years my parents took me on trips to the Spiral, since I’d never been. I learned how to get
around Wizard City, as well as several other worlds. I met both sets of grandparents, and my
parent’s families. I also got lessons at home on everything I would need to know once I became a
student: learning about the currency of the Spiral (gold, silver, and copper pieces), the various
worlds and a brief summary of each, an in-depth study of the most important worlds, stuff like that.
Things that other kids spent their whole lives knowing and learning from a young age, but I was
behind.
Fast forward to July 25th, shortly after I turned 16, and I’m packed and ready to leave for
Ravenwood. All my stuff is in one bag. Of course, that bag can hold just about anything, and seems
to have no capacity limit. I bought it on my first trip to the Shopping District in Wizard City when I
was 14, and it was so very, very useful. I’ve got my bag, packed with all my clothes, a bunch of
stuff for school like paper, quills and ink, books, and my class schedule. I’ve already done all my
shopping that I need to do. I bought several sets of robes, and because I’m taking a potions elective,
I have a complete set of ingredients for beginners. And that’s where the story picks up.